Getty Images: Change Me

Disclosure: Getty Images owns iStockPhoto who is a current advertiser on my site.

Daily Kos: Change Me Getty Images is out with a very interesting contest called Change Me. I have to say that it really is quite brilliant.

The idea works like this. You scour the Getty Images catalog of images (and there really are some fantastic images in there, they are after all the best of the pros) and find one that you like. Once you find one that you like you write up a short note on why you like it. “Simply find an image that inspires you and use it to express an idea that has the ability to touch or affect the person viewing it.”

Some of the best submissions will be used and may appear as part of a book and traveling exhibition with those photographs.

Now here comes the best part. How much does it cost to join this contest? Nothing. That’s right. It’s free. What’s more, for each submission Getty Images will donate $10 to Friends of the Global Fight Against AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, a non profit agency, up to $250,000

Now first off, hats off to Getty Images for agreeing to donate up to $250,000 to something important. But this is where they are smartest of all. Every major company gives philanthropically every year. They have huge budgets for these things — and they should. That’s right, giving back to the community should be something that every corporation in America does and I don’t think you’d find a Fortune 500 CEO who disagreed with this.

But the best kind of giving results in win-win arrangements for companies. And this is one such arrangement. Sure Getty Images is doing something great for the 6 million people killed each year by AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. But they are also generating a huge amount of PR with this contest and will get a ton of people to their site. You’re reading about it right here for instance.

This is a much smarter way to give $250,000 to charity than to simply write a check.

As the Daily Kos suggests it would be a much better contest if individuals also had an option of submitting their own photographs (and a great way for Getty to scout talent as well) but it’s still a nice contest even as structured today.

Nice work Getty Images. And thanks for dropping me the note on this Deborah.

One Comment

Take a look at their overall financial picture and you will see that this would be like you or I donating 10 pounds to charity and then wanting to get everyone in the world to write up a great story patting us on the back for being such “do gooders”. What a joke. If it were a sincere gesture, I would also applaud them, but it’s not. It gives the appearance of a donation but is it really??? I think not. Buck up some real money for a change without expecting something in return…Let’s see the CEO and SVP’s dip into their pockets for a good cause– it should be no problem given their over inflated salaries and excessive stock options…That would mean something.